Owners warned about bovine TB infection in cats and dogs

It was reported in the Vet Times recently that the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Food Standard Agency and Public Health England have started working in partnership with vets to investigate a recent outbreak of bovine TB in a number of cats.

The five separate cases involve cats in households across various locations in England. All are indoor cats and had not been in contact with either wild or farm animals. The other commonality is that in all cases the cats were fed raw meat diets consisting mainly of uncooked meat and bones, fashionable on account of being perceived as more natural and healthy for cats. Bovine TB has also been seen in raw fed dogs.

Owners and vets are urged to stay vigilant. Mycobacterial disease, including bovine TB, is a differential diagnosis in chronically sick cats and dogs, and the index of suspicion is raised if animals have been raw fed. Biobest offer interferon gamma tests to assist in making a diagnosis and classifying the type of Mycobacterial infection. This in turn can inform decisions as to whether treatment is appropriate and whether it is necessary to report the case to APHA